Monday, March 5, 2012

Really???

That isn’t me at the sewing machine. That is my daughter, who avoided the idea of sewing like the plague until a teacher at school started a 5th grade after-school quilting club. After several sessions there she started eyeing my machine with a gleam in her eye. I tried not to ask “Really???” too often!

On the weekend we used a gift certificate to buy a jelly roll of her choice. Today was a day off school and she started working on a Jelly Roll 1600 quilt. I’ve been itching to get into that fabric since Saturday, but I exercised some self-control and let her open up the roll of strips when she was good and ready to. I even refrained from helping move things along faster. I limited myself to giving instructions at each new step of the process, and straightening a very few too-wonky seams. (I went and cleaned bathrooms between steps, and if that doesn’t tell you how determined I was not to hover and interfere, nothing will!)

So far she has sewn a white square of fabric to each strip (that isn’t in the pattern but we thought that would be an easier way to add interest than to have her piece strips on the diagonal just yet), pressed, then sewn all the strips end to end. She now has one long strip 2.5 inches wide by 50+ yards. I’m being very good and not touching it while she’s in bed. I’ll let her do the rest too, probably later this week. I can wait. Really. I can. I think.

In the meantime I’ll dabble in these fabrics. The colours didn’t photograph well. They are more vibrant than this but you get the idea.

You are being so patient! I think you are doing this perfectly. Let her move at her own pace and be there to help when needed. The day may come when you have to fight her for time on your machine! I hope she finds a love for sewing, that will turn into a lifetime of creating. You also have some beautiful fabrics to play with, what will these become?

Good for her! And you! When I started sewing clothes in junior high, my Mom didn't help me, except for telling me to read and follow the instructions of the pattern. That was good for me in the long run, as it forced me to learn how to follow the instructions.

A new quilter - yay! I know how hard it is not to just take over when my niece was sewing with me, but good for you cleaning the bathroom instead! I love your fabrics...what will they be? (We might have to wait longer than usual if a daughter is sharing your machine, right?)

Thank you for visiting. I truly appreciate your comments and will try to reply to comments by email if possible.

If you have a question, emailing me directly at joanne@canuckquilter.com will ensure I have your address to respond. I promise I will not share your email address and I will not use it for any purpose other than replying to your message.

About Me

I have been quilting since 2000, gathering steam as my 2 children get older. I enjoy playing with color and design, and I love seeing what other quilters create as well.
Contact me: joanne@canuckquilter.com.